amberfocus | Getting Swallowed Whole (Reply)

Have you ever sat down to watch something new (to you, anyway) with very low expectations and been completely and utterly blown out of the water by complete and utter amazingness? That's been my experience with Drop Dead Diva, which quite frankly I thought was going to be something goofy and light and easy to put down again. I've hesitated to watch it because the premise made me think that I might find it a bit offensive actually and possibly super shmoopy since it's Lifetime, but Netflix kept trying to tell me that according to my tastes, I'd love, love, love it to little bits. Of course, Netflix also thinks I'd adore SpongeBob, (thanks kids for skewing the system) and mysteries of the pyramids, lost island of Atlantis, crop circles, etc., (totally Chris).

However, on this one, I have to say they were 100% right. The set-up finds beautiful, sweet, but vacuous model Deb living an almost perfect life with her gorgeous boyfriend and a beautiful house, who dies in a car accident. At the same time super smart, overweight, frumpy Jane, an attorney at a powerful law firm gets between a gunman and one of the senior partners and is shot. We don't see what becomes of Jane's soul, but Deb goes to the waiting room between heaven and hell, and is considered neither good nor evil, but a perfect zero. Nothing to push the scale in either direction. The don't know what to do with her and she takes matters into her own hands, pushing the return button. Only she doesn't return to her own body, she returns to Jane's. Her processor gets demoted to be her guardian angel and she gets to keep her own memories, but also all of Jane's knowledge.

At first she freaks out, as anyone would, but her character growth is wonderful as she realizes she's suddenly very smart and that she can be beautiful and sexy in a plus-size body. More importantly, she can learn to be happy again as Jane, even with the loss of her boyfriend who is (of course) the new attorney at her law firm (whom Jane had conviently interviewed the week before). Her assistant is paid by the brilliant, wonderful, snarky (and thankfully not foul-mouthed here) Margaret Cho. Her nemesis at the firm starts out seeming like she might be a caricature of the evil beauty who cares only for her career, but she gets character growth, too, and although she is sometimes spiteful, it becomes impossible not to like her sometimes, as well.

The law cases are interesting and intriguing (though probably wouldn't necessarily go the way they do, and I imagine it would drive real lawyers crazy) and Jane can be very manipulative in court in ways that clearly come from her background as a beauty queen, yet at the same time, you know that some of the original flavor of who she is now is coming through as well. They just do a marvelous job of rounding out everything about her, from ditz to braniac.

Oh, and Deb's best friend is the only one in on the secret (besides the guaridan angel Fred). She's a ditzy, skinny, aspiring model who is more than willing to open her eyes and see people for what's in their hearts. The way she embraces Jane and accepts her because she was her best friend before and still is even though the packaging has changed is lovely. It's great that they spent time rounding out her character so much, because she really could have been just this total cliche blonde airhead, instead of a woman with heart and moments of sheer inspiration.

I love the interactions, the adapting to the new life, the storylines, and the occasional muscial number for no apparent reason, just everything. Such an amazing show and well worth being sucked in and swallowed whole. Let's just say I started on Sunday morning and I've just started season 2 (only 13 eps per season, though). Yeah, that's a show I can set down and walk away from at any time, isn't it?